The San Diego Padres' ongoing quest for a World Series (or at least a playoff title). "You know that many runners enter a race, but only one of them wins the prize. So run to win! Athletes work hard to win a crown that cannot last, but we do it for a crown that will last forever." 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

Results tagged ‘ clayton richard ’

I love beating the Dodgers. Especially if it means delaying their playoff clinching. I think it’s kind of funny how they get to within one game of clinching and then they just can’t get it done!! But hey, we’re helping the Dodgers. Now this series between the Dodgers and Rockies will be HUGE this weekend. A ton of people will be coming out to watch, so that’s just more money for the Dodgers. Plus, it will be super interesting to see what happens. If Colorado swept, they would be the NL West champs. Aren’t you so glad that we didn’t allow you guys to clinch, Dodgers? :)

Last night’s game was amazing. I am so thrilled with my boys right now. They’re fighting hard. They’re not giving up, even though they’re not going to the playoffs. This is just great.

Clayton Richard threw his best game as a Padre so far last night. He allowed a single to Matt Kemp in the top of the first with two outs. And what do you know, that was THE hit that the Dodgers got all night!! Sweeeeeet. Clayton went seven innings with a one-hit shutout. He walked three and struck out two.

We got a run in the bottom of the first with a single by Chase Headley.

In the third, we got two runners on. Kouz came up and guess what? He hit a three run homer! Since he came back on Tuesday, Kouz has had two game-determining hits. It’s great to have you back, Koozie :)

We got one more run in the fourth on an interference call. Tony Gwynn hit a ball in the infield. The throw went home, but Everth ran back towards third. The catcher threw to the third baseman, who Everth tripped over. You can see that the third baseman trapped Everth’s leg between his own. Everth pulled free and touched third. The umpire gave him home for that. Sweeeeet.

In the past two games, 18 innings, the Dodgers only scored one run on five hits. HAHAHAHAHAHA!! Wow. We did good. The Dodgers left two runners on in the first. They didn’t get a runner as far as second until there were two outs in the ninth. Wow, our pitchers did amazing!

After Clayton left, Mike Adams and Luke Gregerson held the one-hitter. Man, I am soooo happy about this game!! 5-0 just looks so good.

So, we swept the Dodgers in the mini-series. Man, that’s satisfying. The Dodgers were hoping to get the NL West tied up here, but they can do it this weekend at home. Whatever. Not on our watch. Not on our turf.

I’m loving my boys so much right now. This is really cool. We only have three games left, but I know they’re going to play hard and finish out the season well. Great job, guys.

Aren’t these playoff races sweet? It’s amazing how the schedule worked out. The Dodgers and Rockies will be battling it out this weekend. The Tigers and Twins get to beat up each other to see who will win the AL Central. It’ll be interesting.

Padres have an off-day today before attacking the Giants for three. I can’t wait.

I am so fired up about this team right now. The Union Tribune had an excellent article today, and it made me sooo excited about my boys. We’re not going anywhere this season, but we’re winning, and we’ve got a job to do.

Last night, we won again. We had amazing defense and pitching again. We got just enough runs to win again. Heath Bell saved the game again. Things are going great!!

Clayton Richard pitched one great game last night. He went 6.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits with six strikeouts and two walks. He didn’t allow that run until the seventh, when Josh Bard hit a homer against him.

I love Bardo. He was the first Padres autograph I got, and he’s a catcher. I adore catchers, and he was a great one. Well, not really. But I still love him. So I really don’t mind that he hit that homer off us last night. It was only his fourth of the year for goodness sakes!! Miss you, Bardo!!

In the bottom of the second, Kouz doubled and Will Venable singled to get our first run on the board. Yay Kouz!!

In the fifth, Kouz hit a sac-fly to drive in Everth with our second run. Yay Kouz!!

In the seventh, Oscar Salazar hit a pitch-hit solo homer. He has hit three pinch-hit homers this season. Our pinch hitters have been doing extremely well in the last few games.

In the bottom of the eighth, Drew Macias drove in our last insurance run.

Heath Bell went 1-2-3 to close the game and get his 33rd save of the season.

And so, we have now won three series in a row. They will finish up the series with a 2-for-1 day today.

Now, about our mission. We’re 21.5 games behind in the NL West right now, but we’re going to help determine who comes out on top. We’re going to play spoiler.

After an off-day tomorrow, we’ll be playing the Dodgers in LA, the Giants in San Fran, and the Rockies and Diamondbacks at homer. After going to Pittsburgh, we’ll be playing the Rockies at Coors, Arizona, and then back home to play the Dodgers and Giants. How ’bout that? We are playing our division rivals a ton this month.

Since we’ve started on this winning trend, we have hurt the playoff chances of Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, and Milwaukee. These guys are fired up, and they don’t want to just finish out this season. They want to use the opportunity they’ve been given to determine who’s going to win this West.

“We’ve talked, everyone is on the same page,” said second baseman David Eckstein. “We want to make some lives miserable. We’re looking forward to those games against the West.”

I love that. “We want to make some lives miserable.” They’ve got a huge chance to do some damage here. I think the Padres are going to be the deciding factor in who wins this division. I really do.

“We’re not just playing it out,” said Heath Bell. “We get to fight. It feels good when we beat contending teams. Last year at this time, I felt like we cashed it in – let’s not lose 100 games. This year, it’s been ‘let’s win.’ “

I think it’s going to be a great month. Unlike last year, when we were trying to stay away from 100 losses, we’re looking to win this year. It’s a different mentality, and different atmosphere in this clubhouse. I’m excited.

So, game three today against the Nationals. K-Cor is pitching. He’d better do well.

What a great game!! After losing their ninth straight game to the Cardinals on Thursday night, the Padres and their fans needed a win. The ball was placed in Clayton Richard’s hands.

(If any of you are wondering why I did not blog yesterday, I was sleeping in ’til 11. Plus, I didn’t really want to blog about that sick loss the other night. Summer’s ending too soon!! Even though I slept until 11 again this morning, I just had to blog about the amazing game last night!!)

First off, it was Fellowship Night, so church groups could come out for a discounted price. Church groups can go anytime, of course, but this is a special night. After the game, some of the players give their testamonies, and it’s good stuff. I should have been there last night, but our church didn’t get out to it this year. It made me pretty depressed, knowing that I could have been there. Oh well. Hopefully there will be more opportunities for me to go to a game this year.

Now, Clayton Richard. This guy came over in the Jake Peavy deal almost a month ago, and he’s been great. His last outing (against the Cardinals actually) was not the greatest, but he got a no-decision. This time, he was excellent. How’s six innings, five hits, NO RUNS, three walks, and six strikeouts? Pretty good. Then when you get the Padres bullpen in there…wow.

In the second inning, Will Venable doubled and Kyle Blanks singled. Nick Hundley came to the plate. He quickly went down 0-2, but came back to a full count. On the eighth pitch of the at-bat, he hit a bomb to left field for a three-run homer. Oh man, I LOVE three-run homers!! So cool.

Nick…I love Nick!! He’s a great person, and he’s becoming a very good player. I love catchers, and Nick is a great one. He’s still young, and he’s still learning, but I think he’s a fixture in the Padres’ future. Great game Nick!!

The Padres didn’t score again until the eighth, but then again, the Cardinals didn’t score at all! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Anyways, with runners on third and second, Kouz lined a single up the middle. T.Gywnn scored easily, but Eck got easily caught by the gun of Rick Ankiel. Wow.

Luke Gregerson threw a great inning. Mike Adams struck out the side in his. Heath Bell pitched the ninth, even though it was not a save situation with our 4-0 lead. Which became our 4-0 win when Heath was done.

YAY!!!

What a great game. Will Venable made some excellent plays. Nick Hundley had an unassisted double play, almost a triple play.

So now we have tied up the series at one. My boys need to get at least one more in this series…hmmm…hey, how about tonight!!

Speaking of tonight, our own Hyun Young is going to have the night of her life. Yes, she’s going to the game tonight. She just found out yesterday. Let’s just say that it has something to do with the Ecksteins. I’ll let her tell the story on her blog after the game, but she’s going to have a great, great time. I AM SOOOOOO HAPPY FOR HER!!!!

Speaking of going to a game, I’m getting that itch to be out at the ballpark. It’s been just over a month since I went with Hyun Young and Jen and Kylie, and I really want to get out there again. I’m hoping to get in at least one more game this year. If for no other reason, I think I should go to one for my birthday. That’s a good reason, yes? I guess I’ll just have to see.

Okey dokey. Kevin Correia is pitching tonight against Chris Carpenter. That might be a huge pitching duel if K.Cor can throw strikes. Well, C.Carp, too, but he’s 13-3 and K.Cor is 8-9. Hmmmm. It will be a very interesting game, but the Padres have an advantage: Hyun Young is going to be in the stands!!

The Padres lost the series to the Braves the other day, but last night they went out with a new mentality against a new team, and they played a great game.

BUT before the game even started, there were a few interesting moves from the Padres’ front office. First, Chad Gaudin was traded to the Yankees for a player to be named later or cash considerations. I think this is really funny. There’s a article about the trade saying that adding Gaudin will give the Yankees depth. HA! Chad has been terrible all year!! I don’t think a little change of scenery is going to change that. But you never know, he might really help the Yankees out. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Goodbye, Chad, and good riddance.

Next, the Padres extended Bud Black’s contract for the 2010 season. YAY!! Plus, there’s an option for 2011. This is Buddy’s third season as the Padres’ manager, and I think he’s done an amazing job. He’s done his best with the pieces he’s been given, and if we can give him the right pieces, he can do great things with them. I don’t blame the manager at all for the Padres’ recent misfortunes. It’s not his fault at all. Congrats, Buddy!!

Now, on to the game. Clayton Richard made his second start as a Padre, and he did very well once again. He threw 5.2 innings, allowing three runs, five hits, four walks, and stuck out five. BUT he didn’t allow any runs until the sixth, which is where he ran into some trouble. He allowed two walks, two singles, and a run-scoring-double-play before leaving the game. He got his first win with the Padres! Good job, Clayton.

But the Padres are not done in the third, oh no. An out later, Will Venable walks, Chase Headley walks, Henry Blanco singles, and Everth reaches on a error and a run scores. Then, Clayton Richard, of all people, came up and singled in a run. It wasn’t a cheap single, either. Now that’s called helping your own cause!!

Fifth inning. Chase Headley walks, and Blanco drives him in with a single. YAY!!

Then the Mets get their three, but no one’s really worried. At least, I wasn’t.

The bullpen was amazing, as always. Luke Gregerson went 1.1 scoreless innings, Mike Adams went one, and Edward Mujica went one with two strikeouts.

In the bottom of the seventh, we went single, single, single to load the bases. T. Gwynn was then walked to give us the 8-3 lead.

So, we won the first game of the four-game series against the Mets, who are not doing well at all. It was a really great game for us.

Henry Blanco had three hits. Kouz had two. Adrian drove in three runs. The bullpen was solid, and we hit very well.

Just a great, great game. These boys have been playing so well lately!!

Tonight is Kevin Correia against Oliver Perez. Correia had a rough ending to his last outing on Sunday. Hopefully he will be a lot better today.

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